Korean Night for Tourism

Tourism industry goes all-out to push Visit Korea Year 2010-12 to attract foreign tourists with government support

"The Inspiring Night in Korea” was the name of the evening event held at Changdok Palace in Seoul on June 23 with some 1,000 people from various sectors in the country related to tourism promotion and foreign tourists in attendance.
The event, held at one of the ancient palaces in Seoul and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Korea hosted by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Visit Korea Year Committee, gave a huge boost to Korea’s national effort to attract foreign tourists to Korea during the Visit Korea Year 2010-2012 campaign backed up by the government and the Cultural Asset Office.
Visit Korea Year 2010-2012 has been designated in line with the government’s selection of the tourism industry as a next generation growth industry and its efforts to come up with various tourism promotion policies to lure foreign tourists to Korea.
The government and the tourism industry will make joint efforts to improve tourism facilities in Korea including lodging, as well as tourism amenities and more to enhance the competitiveness of Korea as a top tourism destination in the world.
Director Hwang Song-eun of the International Tourism Division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Changdok Palace will be an attractive tourism facility when a tour program will be developed on the palace.
A major aim of the tourism attraction strategies to be promoted by the government and the tourism industry is to make Korea a major tourism destination in Northeast Asia by boosting Korea’s image as a country that foreign tourists want to visit through the tourism promotion campaigns during the Visit Korea Year 2010-2012 campaign by showing off such tourism assets as Korea’s ancient culture and storytelling tourism contents.
The tourism promotion campaigns will be entitled “Korea, Be Inspired” to hold up Korea’s tourism image in the world with such elements as spirit, entertainment and passion as main themes of the campaigns made up of various events that can be physically experienced by foreign tourists in such venues as ancient palaces and other places where they can truly feel the Korean culture and traditions. The nocturnal event consisted of three parts such as experiential events, formal events and congratulatory events. The experiential events took place at Donhwa-mun and Injeong-jon of Changdok Palace from 7:00 p.m. to 8:50 p.m., which included a reception, welcoming event and stroll through the royal palace so that participants could see, feel and taste Korean traditional culture such as foods and exhibitions.
The official events took place from 8:00 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. at a playground in front of Injeong-mun, which included an opening performance, the launch ceremony for the tourism supporters brigade and a ceremony stressing the resolve of tourism industry people. Minister Yu In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chairman Shin Dong-bin of the Visit Korea Year Committee and President Lee Cham of the KTO spoke at the official event.
Announcer Pae Yu-jeong presented a storytelling event, which was simultaneously interpreted as the story went along. Actress Choe Ji-woo was named an “ambassador of smile” in the presence of 37 flag bearers representing the tourism campaign support brigade and each member of the brigade was given an official appointment.
A string of congratulatory performances was kicked off with an opening sinawi performance and an ancient Korean traditional march dance followed by a solo traditional dance by dancer Ha Yong-bu and a samulnori group dance, a dance performance by the Yoon Mi-ra dance troupe, Korean traditional songs by the Chang Sa-ik singing group and the ancient Daedong-Nori, a group dance in the ancient Korean traditional form.
The congratulatory event was also held at the playground of Injeong-mun from 8:50 p.m. to 9:40 p.m., which included a traditional dance, a palatial dance and pungmul drum dance performances. nw

(from left) The main gate of Changdok Palace in Seoul where “Inspiring Night in Korea” took place on June 23 hosted by Korea Tourism Organization and the Visit Korea Year Committee. Officials of KTO and the Visit Korea Year Committee led by KTO President Lee Cham in full Korean attire are seen during the Korean Night event. The KTO CEO explained to dignitaries including the First Lady Kim Yun-ok, who is the honorary chairwoman of the Visit Korea Year Committee, Minister Yu In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chairman Shin Dong-bin of the Visit Korea Year Committee, the tourism facilities at the ancient palace.